Not only that but many callers are dissatisfied with the advice they are given. One first-time mother described how she called the helpline about her three-month-old son and was asked a string of age-inappropriate questions such as "can you ask him if he has a headache?" A journalist from the Times who says she had the H1N1 virus reported that the helpline operator she phoned couldn't read the questions supplied and struggled to pronounce words including "metabolic".

They were not the only ones to query whether those answering the phone are qualified for the job. Over the weekend, two Mail on Sunday journalists applied for jobs at one of the call centres and reported that one successful applicant was a 16-year-old school leaver who confessed she was so terrified she told a caller to dial 999. One would-be operator told another newspaper how he quit after being given just a 90-minute presentation and a manual to read in preparation for diagnosing cases, despite being promised six hours of training.

Have you called the hotline? Who answered the phone and what advice were you given? Share your experiences below.